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Spring 2004 Volume 2, Issue 2 Air Force Weather Historian A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE AIR FORCE WEATHER HISTORY OFFICE AAF Weathermen Participated in D-Day Invasion We heralded the role of weather information to the hedgerow country with Army Air Forces weather Ninth Air Force tactical the 502d Parachute forecasters in the planning units as they moved Infantry Regiment, 101st and execution of across the English Airborne Division, at 0100 Operation OVERLORD in Channel. the morning of 6 June a previous edition of this 1944. Linking up with newsletter. As we Four weather observers troops from the 502d and approach the 60th were detailed to the 11th 506th Parachute Anniversary of D-Day, we Tactical Air Regiments, they were highlight the sacrifices of Communications making their way toward the weather observers Squadron, supporting the the rally point when who participated in the D- 82d and 101st Airborne German soldiers fired Day invasion. Divisions. The training upon them. SSgt Staub Mr. Al Moyers Air Force Weather Historian and combat experiences was wounded three times In January 1944, GEN for these men varied by rifle fire and knocked Dwight D. Eisenhower’s widely. unconscious by a Mr. Jerry White headquarters requested “a grenade. Regaining Deputy AF Weather Historian weather service adequate Of the four, the best know consciousness at to meet the needs of the is probably SSgt Robert A. daybreak, he made his ground forces supported Dodson, for whom Air way almost two miles to a by these Air Forces in the Force Weather’s Dodson makeshift aid station. United Kingdom and in the Award is named. SSgt Eventually evacuated to a European continental area Dodson parachuted in field hospital and then to Inside This Issue or area over which the with elements of the 82d England, he was then Allied Forces will operate.” Airborne near Sainte Mere returned to the US. The Allied Expeditionary Eglise. Injuring his knee 26 OWS Heritage 2 Air Force, through the in the landing, he Corporal Warren F. Wolf Ninth Air Force, directed nonetheless linked up with rode a glider in the second Maj Gen Collens 3 the 21st Weather other airborne troopers, wave of the D-Day Squadron “establish located his equipment assault. Unfortunately, he Tactical Recon 3 liaison with, and make bundles and made his was captured along with provision for, giving way to the command post, several other glider Looking Back 4 meteorological service to where, for the next 36 passengers, ending up the the Headquarters, First hours, he helped turn war in Stalag Luft 4 in U.S. Army Group, and back the German attacks. what is now Poland. In such other subordinate Once ground combat late March 1945, he was units as the Commanding ceased, he started his part of the forced march General, First U.S. Army weather observations, west, being freed by a This is an unofficial Group may desire.” sending them back until British armor unit on 17 publication of the Air Force June 21 when he was April 1945. He was Weather History Office, Air The 21st Weather hospitalized in France and demobilized in November Force Weather Agency, Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The Squadron had already later England until his 1945 and re-enlisted in opinions expressed herein been organized to work in knee was healed. the Army Signal Corps in are not necessarily the mobile, fast moving 1948. official views of the conditions and was paired SSgt Charles J. Staub Department of the Air Force, the Office of the with the 40th Mobile was the first weatherman Continued on p. 4, Director of Weather, or the Communications into Normandy. He “Weathermen Joined the Air Force Weather Agency. Squadron to deliver jumped from 600 feet into D-Day Assault” Air Force Weather Historian The 26th’s Time at Barksdale Began in the 1950s In response to a request reconstituted the 26th headquarters to Barksdale from the commanding Weather Squadron on Air Force Base, Louisiana, general of the Army Air May 18, 1948. On June 1, on September 10, 1951, in Forces School of Applied it activated the 26th at order to align itself with Tactics for an assigned Brookley Air Force Base, the headquarters of weather squadron, the near Mobile, Alabama. Strategic Air Command’s Army Air Forces The Air Force assigned Second Air Force at T/Sgt Kauwell briefs a headquarters constituted the 26th to the 104th Barksdale for which the pilot at the Orlando Air today’s 26th Operational Weather Group, which 26th had been given Base weather station, Weather Squadron on was later redesignated the functional responsibility 1943. September 30, 1943, as 2104th Air Weather under Air Weather the 26th Weather Group. Service’s new Squadron. The squadron organizational scheme. The 26th Weather activated on October 10, Squadron was soon In continuing Air Weather 1943, under the command indirectly supporting Service reorganizations, of Lt Col Chester W. Cecil, Operation VITTLES as the 26th was reassigned Jr., at Orlando Army Air Brookley transports, to the 2101st Air Weather Base, Florida. In addition including the limited- Group on September 16, Lt Scott draws a North to his squadron duties, production C-74 1951, and to the 1st Atlantic and Western Colonel Cecil served as Globemaster I, began Weather Group on April Hemispheric synoptic the 26th Weather participating in the Berlin 20, 1952. The squadron chart at the Orlando Air Regional Control Officer Airlift. began its long association Base weather station, and staff weather officer 1943. with the 3d Weather Wing for the Army Air Forces on October 8, 1956, to School of Applied Tactics. which it was assigned until Later redesignated the it was inactivated on June Army Air Forces Tactical 30, 1972. Air Center, the School of The 26th was again Applied Tactics was activated and assigned to activated on October 16, the 3d Weather Wing on 1942, to train selected T/Sgt Solow tests January 1, 1975. The officers under simulated facsimile equipment at 26th continued at combat conditions. More the Orlando Air Base Barksdale until the than 840 weather officers weather station, 1943. The 26th’s current emblem divestiture of Air Weather attended the Weather was approved on November Service. The squadron Staff Officer course 3, 1965, replacing its first was inactivated on July conducted at the School emblem approved in 1944. 31, 1991. of Applied Tactics during World War II. As part of Air Force Weather’s re-engineering, The Army Air Forces The 26th Weather the squadron was disbanded the 26th Squadron was reassigned redesignated the 26th Weather Squadron on to the 2059th Air Weather Operational Weather June 3, 1944, and Wing on October 24,1950, Squadron on February 5, The 26th Weather squadron personnel were as part of Air Weather 1999, and again activated Squadron began transferred in-place to Service’s restructuring to at Barksdale on October support of Second Air Squadron B, 902d Army eliminate the Weather 1, 1999, where it was Force at Barksdale Air Air Forces Base Unit. Groups. Force Base in 1951. assigned to Eighth Air The newly independent The 26th Weather Force’s 608th Air United States Air Force Squadron moved its Operations Group.✫ Spring 2004 General Collens Remembers His Service with AWS John W. Collens, III, command of the 9th Collens in November began his military career Weather Reconnaissance 2002. The complete during World War II as an Wing at McClellan Air interview is available on aviation cadet and Force Base, California. In request. received his commission February 1974 General MAJ GEN COLLENS: I and pilot wings in April Collens again returned to always felt that indoctrination 1944. He flew 28 B-17 Scott Air Force Base as flights for all weather people combat missions during Commander, Air Weather should be conducted. No World War II. Service. weather person should have as his total exposure to flight In March 1949 General In August 1975 he became what he sees out the window Collens returned to active Deputy Chief of Staff, of a commercial airliner. That duty and after attending Plans, Military Airlift doesn’t do it. the weather officer course Command, and in July He needs to be taken up in a Maj Gen John W. Collens, III at Chanute Air Force 1977 became Chief of two-seater airplane or Base, Illinois, he joined Air Staff. He was assigned as whatever [and be asked] Weather Service. He flew Deputy Inspector General, before he gets off the ground, 75 tactical weather Headquarters, US Air “How high do you think those reconnaissance missions Force, Washington, DC, in clouds are?” Assuming he in weather reconnaissance November 1978. doesn’t have a ceilometer B-26 aircraft during the [then tell him]. “Okay, now Korean War. General Collens retired we’re going to go up and see how close you came. Now from active duty on there’s another cloud layer General Collens served as October 1, 1979. that you can see through the Vice Commander, Air breaks in this lower layer. Brig Gen Collens is greeted at Weather Service, from How high do you think that Bitburg Air Base, Germany, June 1971 to May 1973. The Air Force Weather History Office conducted upper deck is?” ✫ during his tenure as Air He then assumed an interview with General Weather Service commander. AWS Observers flew Tactical Recon in Korea In January 1951, Fifth Air joined the 6166th in March 1951. The squadron’s Force activated the 1951 as a pilot-observer. RB-26s were painted 6166th Tactical Weather General Collens recalls black and stripped of Reconnaissance Flight at one memorable flight near weapons to increase their Taegu Air Base, Korea, to Pyongyang, North Korea, performance capabilities.

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